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| China Basin Chastened |
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One of my CUE responsibilities was collecting ballots for the recent affiliation vote. I went to China Basin on Thursday (April 15 · Tax Day!), as we'd done all week, leaned an 8½" X 11" notice saying 'CUE VOTE HERE' against a tree. As I waited for foot traffic, a man approached saying, "You can't do that here." I asked what he meant by "that." He asserted that the China Basin courtyard was private property and voting, registration, union activities and so on are not allowed. This struck me as strange because not only were we doing this all week but, in November the coalition of unions (AFSCME, UPTE, CUE among others) set up tables and chairs in the same area, with numerous signs and three or four persons gathering votes of "no confidence" in UC president Yudoff. No one interfered with us, although we were impossible to ignore. The person citing these alleged rules was Randy Valdez, Operations Manager for McCarthy Cook & Company at the Basin. His e-mail is rjvaldez@mccarthycook.com, phone numbers (415) 543-3521 and (415) 543-6770. I couldn't hear every choice word because of the tortuous noise levels in the courtyard from industrial-strength fans. I believe those were outlawed by the Geneva Conventions of 1949, and it is probably an OSHA violation. I phoned our president, Ms Jones, bought a scone and coffee, sat down at a table, as I'd done on Tuesday. Being a recognizable figure, and wearing a CUE shirt, members approached me with completed ballots and requests for more ballots. I did not hail anyone or do anything to call attention to myself. An enforcer from building management (BM) came over to say I would have to leave, since I'd ignored Valdez's command. I think his name was Louie. I told him I was just enjoying coffee and a scone, when these folks came over to me. "Should I have told them to leave me alone?" He said I had to leave right away or he would call the UCPD. I said, "Who's that?" When he explained, I asked if this was supposedly a non-UC area, why the UC police would be involved. Without missing a beat, he threatened to call the SFPD, so I told him I would leave quietly after finishing my blueberry scone and coffee. He said I had to leave immediately. I asked if he would refund my food costs, since I was being ejected mid-snack. He refused my request, which was just cheesy. The chunky thug escorted me to the sidewalk outside, delineating where the public area ended, skipping the full tour. Surprisingly, he didn't request reinforcements because I am a very scary dude and could have outrun him without cracking a sweat. I phoned Ginger Jones to recount the latest developments, finished my coffee and scone outside. While trying to enjoy my refreshments, I noticed they had posted a guard nearby to spy on me, presumably to make sure I didn't reenter the building. He remained at his post, trying not to look undignified, until I boarded the shuttle. So the question is: Why was my inconspicuous activity such an affront to some tool, when far more disruptive union activities were ignored? Is it possible AFSCME called management at the building? Yes. They had no problem trying to undermine our union, after we had helped theirs. With reported assaults on our election workers in Los Angeles, I should feel lucky I was not physically harmed. Turns out ASCFME, on at least two subsequent occasions, held very ostentatious events in the same courtyard, even offering tee shirts as a bribe for signing a decertification card. (I was a member of AFSCME for several years and they never gave me a tee shirt, although I got one for free while supporting their picket line.) Perhaps China Basin rescinded those unwritten, secret rules after I left. Or maybe Valdez only shows up once a month. When I worked for UC and belonged to AFSCME, they did not do squat for us. [Substitute another word beginning with S, ending with T, for a more accurate assessment of their accomplishments.] — Gary Tutin, CUE Local 6 Submit your own True Tales of Organizing. |
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This following is a sample FAQ from one of the other union's flyers:
The facts. You are still represented by CUE, a stronger CUE affiliated with the Teamsters. No union lets you join during a vote. Not AFSCME, not NACE. None! Voting is a member privilege, which would be worthless if you could join, vote and quit until the next time you wanted to vote. For years, we have urged our folks to join, so they can vote. The affiliation vote was not full of irregularities. The Court threw out the baseless challenges. If you are seeking irregularities, examine the sneaky, deceptive decertification campaign, beginning with the FAQ responses. |
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